Regarding the front-page
article "Crimea leaders vote to secede" (March 7), which stated that the
"regional parliament in Crimea crossed another red line set by the United
States and Europe."

Looks like no cares much
about President Barack Obama's red lines.

Bob Mayr

Southeast Portland

•

Regardless of the
political system in Russia, its recent actions in Ukraine and Crimea may be
driven more by practical considerations than dreams of empire and ideological
hegemony, that is, realpolitik.

Major gas pipelines from
Russia run through Ukraine, supplying Europe and Turkey, and revenue flows
back. Also, it is practically important to Russian security to have an ice-free
port for naval operations.

Hypothetically, imagine
if the western half of the United States had access to only one warm-water port
and that it was in the Gulf of California and that we had a large naval base
there, rather than in San Diego. Also imagine if the United States exported
natural gas in pipelines through Mexico to South America, netting needed
revenue for our economy, and that the politics of Mexico became unstable or
unfriendly. Would the United States act in its own best interests?

Realpolitik.

Bob Wright

Southwest Portland

•

George W. Bush
conservative Dave Luck hopes we are proud of ourselves for voting (twice) for a
president who has diminished the standing of the USA on the world stage while
incurring crushing debt ("Ukraine politics," Letters, March 7).